Had no knowledge of Sreesanth's intentions, says Harmeet Singh

Mumbai: Young left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh told the Cricket Board that he personally had no knowledge as to whether his three Rajasthan Royals' teammates, implicated in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, had any intention to commit the alleged offences.

In a reply to the show cause issued to him by BCCI on September 4, Singh denied that he failed to report about this to the BCCI or its designated anti-corruption unit headed by Ravi Sawani, as required under the IPL Code of Conduct.

The two-member disciplinary committee of BCCI is slated to meet in Delhi to hear Harmeet, and the three accused players -- S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan.

Singh assured BCCI that he would appear personally, but also requested that his lawyer may be allowed to be with him at the deposition before the committee, comprising Arun Jaitley and Niranjan Shah.

Harmeet, through his lawyer Ashok Paranjpe, further said that the one-man probe commissioner appointed by BCCI – Sawani - had never summoned him as had been alleged in the BCCI's show-cause notice. In fact, he had voluntarily appeared before him and narrated true facts as appearing in the statement made before a Delhi Magistrate.

The contents of his statement made before the Magistrate were reiterated and repeated before the Inquiry Commissioner, Singh said in reply to the notice.

However, Singh said, to his shock and surprise the inquiry report records facts which are contrary to the statement made by him before the Magistrate. "Also, they are exaggerated, twisted and words are put into his mouth under coercion by the Inquiry Commissioner."

Singh said the inquiry officer did not allow him to see what he had recorded and he (Singh) was compelled to sign the said report under coercion without having read it.

Singh said the Delhi police are investigating the entire matter and they had given him a clean chit and also concluded that he was not directly or indirectly connected with any of the accused in the spot-fixing in IPL matches.

Singh, a member of the victorious Indian under-19 World Cup team last year, has been suspended by the BCCI pending the completion of the inquiry by the disciplinary committee.